I need to replace my 12v battery on my 2003 Gen1. Seems to be about the only thing that is getting tired on my 240000mi car. I have a fantastically great deal on a new 100ah battery. My wife's and my budget, at this moment, is so friggen tight that it can't even squeak! I'm not looking at it for any kind of performance advantage, it is just simply the best price I can afford for any new battery over 46ah that is for sale, and it even has a nice warrantee on it. Spec is 46ah, but is there any reason that this 100ah battery won't function properly, or will cause a problem, in my Prius?
If it fits in the tray and it's 12 volts and you like it and it's above the 46 you should be okay The car's not going to care
If it's the same size and form factor, then the larger-capacity battery is better (assuming the same exact quality ). Note, some batteries have ridges, at the top/bottom/sides. Depending on the battery is held down, those ridges may be important. For the 12v battery, the capacity is needed to power the electronics. For a typical non-hybrid vehicle, the 12v battery is also needed for the engine starter. By far, the engine and engine starter determine the 12v battery capacity. Fwiw, especially during the middle of winter, if you're not going to drive the car for a while, put a proper trickle charger on the 12v battery. I use the 3/4 amp "Battery Tender battery charger". A few nights with temps below 10F, are very hard on any 12V battery. If Friday night, all day Saturday, all day Sunday, and Sunday night are all very cold days, then come Monday, there are a lot of dead, or on the verge of being dead, batteries. Fwiw, at most, you need only a 1/2 amp trickle charger. Otherwise, after ~2 cold days/nights, start the car, and let the car run for ~15-30mins, to charge the 12v battery. Imho, that's a good thing to do, any day after the temps went below -5F at night. Code: https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S Battery Tender Junior 12V Charger and Maintainer: Automatic 12V Powersports Battery Charger and Maintainer for Motorcycle, ATVs, and More - Smart 12 Volt, 750mA Battery Float Chargers - 021-0123 $39.95 Good Luck!
It's hard for me to imagine a 100 Ah battery fitting in the space of a 46 Ah one. So you might have some work to do mechanically securing it. The car won't be bothered by the additional amp-hours.
If it fits, terminals match, and it vents down the tube or is AGM then that's fine. U could go bigger OR smaller. Know why the spare tire and battery are bolted down? The tire is a missile and the battery an electrical fire in an accident.
Yeah it's a lot different than an American piece of iron where the battery can be sitting up front hell down with the coat hanger you have a wreck the hood flies up in the battery goes flying down the road a hundred feet no problem but that hundred feet when you put on the brakes in your Prius is only about 8 ft for the battery to reach your head or the windshield if it comes up and out of its tray it's also light enough where it will fly pretty good and break and hurt and possibly kill somebody if it hits em right.
